I’ve been contemplating an idea for a blog post and have never really done an official favorite games of all time list. Instead, I thought I would find my favorite game for each year I have existed. I thought it would be hard, but as I began researching titles and release dates, my favorite games started to fall into place. Some games mean a lot to me so I wrote about some memories I have associated with them. Part two is a little interesting because so many of these games are so recent, I have basically narrowed each selection down by what games I played the most. A lot of years included tons of great games that are not listed here. Enjoy!

Note: Each game is categorized by its U.S. Release Date

2001

Final Fantasy X

I would like to think that my overall opinion of Final Fantasy X is that it's not a great game, but as I look back on it, I realize that there are some amazing moments that make the game memorable. Tidus might be the worst lead character in the history of games, which is why I might have inadvertently made him my worst character due to some horrible organization of the sphere grid. On the other hand, Auron might be my favorite character in the history of games. Either way, the game brought the classic series to the next generation of games. Unfortunately, it may have been the last great Final Fantasy (or the finality of the great final fantasies?).

2002

Timesplitters 2

I destroyed this game, meaning I played and played Timesplitters 2 until it stopped working. The word ‘chaotic’ does not do nearly enough to describe the intensity and frantic pace of the game's various multiplayer modes. For you COD fans, just forget about your K/D ratio, you are going to die a lot in this game and that’s a damn good thing. The game plays almost exactly like Goldeneye on the N64 and features a ridiculous amount of weapons. The single player campaign is really fun and takes you through a crazy amount of locations and situations.

2003

Silent Hill 3

I have never been the biggest fan of the survival/horror genre of video games. However, Silent Hill 3 really caught my attention. By not playing 1 or 2, I knew very little about the series. There was a period in high school when I was a bit of an insomniac and couldn’t go to sleep very well because I was so active with sports and everything else, so my stress level was high. Usually, I would play video games to remedy these feelings. Unfortunately, Silent Hill 3 did very little in that regard. The game is absolutely beautiful, as in the art style is perfectly disgusting and haunting. Walking around in a demonic hospital as a scrawny adolescent girl equipped with only a wrench and a flashlight is pretty disheartening.

2004

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

I played and enjoyed the first few MGS games, but nothing had the lasting appeal on me like Snake Eater did. I felt like I was freaking Rambo the entire time I was playing through. With the use of camouflage and crazy stealth technology, I could not put the game down.

2005

Shadow of the Colossus

Everything I love about games, Shadow of the Colossus has. I have never had a more emotional experience in a video game, until that infamous part at the end of this game (don’t worry I won’t spoil). This wasn’t as much of a game as it was an interactive experience. Exploring the forbidden land and temples sitting atop your gigantic horse Agro, it’s hard not to be completely enveloped by the shear beauty the game exudes. Each colossus brings a new challenge and new feelings of overwhelming guilt for slaying the giant friendly beasts.

2006

Resistance: Fall of Man

Due to the PS3’s relatively weak launch lineup of titles, I figured a new franchise would be the way to go. I had never really played games in HD, and received a GIGANTIC 19” Magnavox HD TV for Christmas my freshman year of college. Resistance was a great entryway into the plethora of PS3 exclusives that would come later on. The amount of detail put into the enemies and was mindboggling. I spent many nights not studying microeconomics because I was busy chucking hedgehog grenades at Chimera.

2007

God of War 2

So, you just got a PS3 that has tons of amazing titles to play in beautiful HD and what do you do? Go buy a PS2 game. The God of War series are games that I will always play. I have been fascinated with Greek Mythology and ancient civilizations since I was a little kid, so to actually play as a God-slaying monster with chained swords fused with your arms was a dream come true. A lot of people criticize Kratos for being too angry and not likable as a lead character, but who the hell cares? You get to go on a rampage in ancient Greece and destroy gods and titans. You get to go on a rampage in ancient Greece and destroy gods and titans. Yes, I meant to repeat that. People think boss fights are too old school for the complex stories current games have to offer. I say, screw you and play God of War to change your mind.

2008

Grand Theft Auto IV

There is something about open-world games and me where I tend to procrastinate way too much and sway away from the main missions and quests. Instead, I will spend hours trying to climb the highest mountain in Skyrim or launch countless rocket-propelled grenades into buildings in an effort to raise my wanted level. GTAIV is a perfect example of this.

2009

Demon’s Souls

No game this century has appealed to me more than the Souls series. I write about these games all the time and what they mean to me. Yeah they are difficult, but not nearly as hard as some of the old Castlevania games and other 8-bit action titles. It’s not the prettiest game in the world either. But, no game I have ever played is even close to being as rewarding as Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. The near endless possibilities of character builds and play styles combined with epic boss fights contribute to my now 400+ hours I have put in between the two games. Spending endless hours farming for pure bladestone or titanite slabs definitely tests one’s patience, but when you are able to craft the weapon you think about all day at work you get a feeling of childlike joy.

The multiplayer component of these games really sets them apart from any game I have played. It is a terrifying feeling knowing you have just a few full moon grasses or estus flask chugs left before you are about to battle a Tower Knight or Ornstein and Smough, then you see those horrible words saying your game has been invaded. Demon’s Souls portrayed Miyazaki’s vision for this multiplayer better than Dark Souls does in my opinion. Dark Souls made PvP more accessible with having some pre-determined locations (and now including the PvP arenas in the DLC) where the bouts are mutually agreed upon for the most part (minus the forest gankers), which is totally fine and I love doing fight club-type matches. However, the true spirit of Souls multiplayer is to completely ruin someone else’s day. It’s such a brilliant idea that I am surprised it hasn’t been implemented in other games. Just imagine playing any Mario game on your way to Bowser’s castle, when all of a sudden you see a red-shadowed demon of another Mario player try to knock you off ledges and throw shells at you to take your extra lives.

2010

Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout is the only non-fantasy-oriented RPG series I have ever played. And New Vegas might be my favorite RPG ever. Fallout 3 was a brilliant game, but New Vegas took that experience and improved it on every level. From the badass NCR ranger armor to the anti-material rifle, the game provides numerous avenues to explore and build your character to be whatever kind of badass you can imagine. New Vegas’ story offers the player to make thousands of different choices that affect the ending outcomes, and as you begin to learn more about the different factions and history of what caused everything to happen, what seemed right might be wrong and vice versa.

2011

Dark Souls

2011 was a magnificent year for video games. When I made this list, 2011 had more amazing titles than any year I could remember. However, it was also the easiest choice for me because of the release of Dark Souls. I like to think that Demon’s Souls was my gateway drug and Dark Souls is my black tar heroin. The addition of less-linear game navigation and the amazing amount of lore has taken over a lot of my free time. I mentioned previously in my Demon’s Souls description of what I enjoy so much about this series. Dark Souls is a true video game. There is nothing forced, no fancy cutscenes. Kill the enemies, get better equipment, beat the boss, and proceed to next area. It is a simple formula that translates in amazing results. I’m both excited and anxious about the future of the Souls series. Miyazaki’s passion for making these games is very evident, so it will be interesting seeing what will become with him taking a less-involved role for Dark Souls II. I could honestly write a 10,000-word manifesto on these games, but I’m afraid I would be too tempted to shut off my laptop and go back to building a new character.

2012

Journey

I honestly haven’t played too many games this year because not many of the releases appealed to me and I am still spending so much time playing all of the 2011 games like Dark Souls, Skyrim, and Battlefield 3. Journey is a game I didn’t play until last month. I am a strong supporter of indie games and would like to download more PSN titles like this. Journey is a wonderful experience that every gamer should take the time to play whether you're pwning noobz (still don’t know what that means) in Black Ops 37 Rainbow Super Contra, or if you just casually play iPhone games. Taking only about two hours, you are casted in the role of a strange traveler with the only known objective to reach the shining orb of light at the top of a distant mountain. I can’t say much about this game other than it basically left me in tears at the end of playing without really understanding why. I suppose the game is a perfect representation of why we play games, or why we SHOULD play games. Not to beat them and get whatever the hell achievement or short-term accomplishments, but to temporarily escape into another world.

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Well that’s it. Looking back, I am grateful I have had the opportunity to experience so many great games. I am looking forward to see what the next 25 years have to offer.

I’ve been contemplating an idea for a blog post and have never really done an official favorite games of all time list. Instead, I thought I would find my favorite game for each year I have existed. I thought it would be hard, but as I began researching titles and release dates, my favorite games started to fall into place. Some games mean a lot to me so I wrote about some memories I have associated with them. Enjoy!

Note: Each game is categorized by its U.S. Release Date

1987

Final Fantasy 1

“The world is veiled in darkness. The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the earth begins to rot.
The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy....
'When the world is in darkness Four Warriors will come....'
After a long journey, four young warriors arrive, each holding an ORB.”

My first RPG experience. From the moment you select and name your four characters (pretty innovative for 1987), you are immediately set on an impossible task to rid the world of darkness and return light to the four orbs. Now a clichéd scenario, the epic journey of the first Final Fantasy seemed fresh and completely enthralling for anyone at the time.

Obviously, the game was made when I was born, so it was a few years into my life before I first played it, but I remember watching my brothers meticulously navigating towns and castles while intensely leveling up characters enough to use their newly acquired spells. I still play and enjoy the game to this day, and recently stumbled upon some old, crudely drawn maps of dungeons and treasure locations in the game I made to save myself some time and outbursts of childish anger that can only be cause by NES games. Yes, the time before the Internet was magical and the Nintendo Power Hotline was very expensive.

1988

Zelda II

Not a well-known or well-appreciated game in the Zelda series, but it was my first encounter with the triforce. People often criticize the game for being too difficult and too different from what we see as the staple features in the Zelda series today. But, as the Angry Video Game Nerd says, back then there were only two Zelda games, so you can’t really fault the developers for trying to innovate on the original. I personally think the leveling system works very well in the game and am surprised it never made a return to installments in the series. I will always remember being terrified of Ganon on the “Game Over” screen and the super nostalgic 8-bit soundtrack (the best music of the series if you ask me).

1989

Mega Man 2

I thoroughly enjoyed the original Mega Man and when I first played Mega Man 2, I was quickly able to jump right in. The sequel was a great improvement over the original as far as level design and boss fights. Though it still kicked my ass, it remains an all-time classic. Plus, who can forget that badass intro scene? Pretty sweet for the 8-bit era.

1990

Super Mario Bros. 3

Yes, we all have known and loved this game so well. Not much to say her, just one of the greatest designed games ever created.

1991

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

The older kids will say this is the defining game in the Zelda series over Ocarina of Time. They have a strong case. Reverting to the style of the original Legend of Zelda, Link is portrayed as a young boy traversing Hyrule in a bird’s eye perspective. The game’s high production value is made evident through utilization of everything the SNES has to offer as far as sound and graphics go. I remember trembling the first time I entered Dark World. This is simply a must-have/must-play for anyone who has yet to experience it.

1992

Super Mario Kart

Pure fun. My older brother had somehow acquired this gem through a series of playground trades with a friend who ended up with some shitty Game Gear games.

1993

Star Fox

Any kid who grew up in the early 90s remembers the old commercials for Nintendo’s SUPER FX chip and how amazing the graphics looked. Star Fox is one of those games that truly blew me away at the time it came out. I really thought video games could not look better than what that game accomplished with its sharp polygonal design. So many great memories, I’m pretty sure I recall having my mom take my picture next to the TV after I beat Andross for the first time.

1994

Super Metroid

My personal favorite of the SNES generation, Super Metroid was one of those games you rent with a friend on a Friday night and played until Sunday morning trying to see how far you could get. Such an incredibly eerie atmosphere invoked some serious feelings of anxiety and loneliness when playing as a kid. The game featured an amazing array of boss fights and gameplay mechanics that made it so addicting. It was so rewarding adding new powerful tools to Samus’ arsenal to see what enemies you could kill or what new areas there were to explore. I try to play this game once every couple years just to refresh my memory of how awesome it really is.

1995

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

For the greatest platform game of all time my vote goes to Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. I received this game for Christmas in 1995 and haven’t stopped playing since. First off, it is arguably the most beautiful game on the SNES and offers an insanely good soundtrack thanks to David Wise. Each “world” offers different experiences for the player and the difficulty progression is perfectly paced as you make your way to battle K. Rool.

1996

Mario 64

Mario in 3D, that’s all I need to say. I like to think about the millions of fellow 8-year olds who first stepped foot outside of Peach’s Castle and watched Mario gaze up into the sun. It was a beautiful doorway into the realm of 3D games. Sadly, Mario 64 is one of the very few games in that generation that holds up well enough to play today without getting a headache.

1997

Goldeneye

One rule, you can’t be Oddjob! Doom and Wolfenstein 3D may have been the first First-Person Shooters but it was really Goldeneye that brought the FPS experience to the living room. Although the wonky aiming controls feel completely antiquated today, nothing beats going at it in the stacks with three buddies equipped with RCP-90s and Proximity Mines.

1998

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time

It was Christmas morning 1998, I picked up a wrapped rectangular box and immediately shredded the giftwrap revealing the golden cartridge of glory. My oldest brother was delayed from returning back to college because of a gigantic blizzard that hit our area. We played through the entire experience in less than a week. It is easily my favorite memory playing video games. I’m not sure if Ocarina of Time is my favorite game ever, but I really think it’s about as perfect of a video game that there can be.

1999

Final Fantasy VIII

It was my first Final Fantasy game post-SNES. It would be a few years until I played FFVII and I sadly didn’t have the same overwhelming reaction to it as everyone else did. But, something about FF8 really appealed to me. Squall was kind of a self-centered jackass, but all the other characters were very vivid and developed well over the course of the lengthy four-disc game. Some of the cutscenes were extremely memorable, and Ultimecia may be my favorite end-game boss fight ever.

2000

Syphon Filter 2

I don’t think many people played Syphon Filter 2, but those who did experienced an awesome Playstation game. Preceding all the “Rainbow Six Tom Clancy Socom Spec Ops Declassified Navy Seals Vegas Underground” games that flooded the market in later generations, Syphon Filter 2 was an excellent follow-up to the first (you know that sweet game that everyone had on all the demo discs). The presentation was wonderful featuring voice acting and pretty elaborate cut-scenes, which was pretty rare for the time. The story is the old recycled Soviet-espionage junk that most 12 year-olds would never care about. Your character, Gabe Logan (who runs like he has been constipated for decades) is loaded with an arsenal of cool spy weapons and gadgets that you use to take down enemies stealthily from the confines of conveniently located ventilation ducts. This was close to then end of a great era of games when shooting/adventure games still provided great single player campaigns without placing all the emphasis on copy pasta multiplayer modes.

The other day a close friend/former roommate and I were hanging out in my apartment catching up. We got on the topic of what we have been up to for the past year or so after college as we have entered the workforce and started our adult lives. I somehow got on the topic about how, aside from my girlfriend and our dog, video games and the gaming culture pretty much fill the gap of my leisure time during the week. I then began to wonder why video games play such an important role in my life.

As we get older, I believe we learn to appreciate more things in life, while only being able to focus on the few things we consider important. Because of the responsibilities that come with adulthood, time constraints force me to focus on what I really enjoy in life. Video games to me are a perfect combination of modern escapism and nostalgic resurrection. It is truly one of the few things I am able to hold onto from my childhood.

Some of my fondest, and only, memories I have from being a small child include gazing into a small screen filled with colorful 8-bit graphics as my brothers attempted to manipulate the images they saw before them on the screen. I remember crying in terror as the shadowy figure of Ganondorf appeared on the 'Game Over' screen of Zelda II and laughing hysterically at how easy it was to score a touchdown in Madden ’95 by selecting the play, 'Toss Right’ to Emmitt Smith.

Fantasy games and RPGs always have and still do intrigue me more than any other genre. I enjoy long, drawn out experiences that allow you to grow and progress storylines and characters. Games such as Dragon Warrior and the original Final Fantasy were so mysterious to me. Players were not forced to move to one side of the screen from the other, they were rather granted the freedom to explore massive worlds and interact with the citizens of villages the player passed through, letting his/her imagination run wild with what unknown adventure lie ahead. I do not find much enjoyment with games that are set in modern time periods or realistic settings. My favorite games are the ones that allow you to achieve incredible things that aren’t possible in the world we live in, whether it takes place in the fantastical countryside of Hyrule, or the most abysmal post-apocalyptic shack in the Mojave Wasteland.

We may all derive different meanings and experiences in the games we play, but the fact remains that video games allow each one of us an opportunity to be immersed in worlds without real consequence of our actions, letting us, even for just a few hours a week, rid the myriad problems and struggles that consume our everyday lives.